The Rotary Club of Vergennes, affectionately known as “The Mavericks”, was formed on June 29, 1937. All of the original members are gone now, but we do have a 40-plus year member who is active, and extremly agile.
In the early years, women were not admitted as members, and so an auxiliary was formed called the “Rotary Anns”. The Rotary Anns organized their own projects and elected their own officers. Rotary International allowed women to become full members in 1989, but the United States allowed women members in 1986. The Vergennes club elected its first woman president in 1990 and has had nine more women presidents in the years since.
Some of the fund raisers which have taken place in the past years included bazaars and auctions in the park, as well as minstrel shows. There were talent shows with the Rotary Chorus from the 50’s into the early 70’s. In the 70’s through today came the Casino Nights, and in the 80’s and 90’s there were annual auctions. And more recently, there have been the Rubber Duckie Races.
There were joint meetings and Ladies’ Nights with the Bristol and Middlebury Clubs. In September 1969, one hundred seventy two members and wives from the Middlebury, Bristol and Vergennes Clubs attended a joint Ladies Night at Basin Harbor Club. There were also evening cruises aboard the Ticonderoga, including the ship’s final voyage.
The Rotary Club of Vergennes has long history of donating to the community. During the ’40’s, ’50’s and ’60’s the club sponsored Boy Scouts and Little League. It helped fund delegates to Boys State and Girls State from the ’50’s into the 70’s.
It has made substantial contributions over the years to the Vergennes Rescue Squad, the Vergennes Swimming Pool, Porter Hospital, Elderly Services of Addison County and Vermont Special Olympics.
More recently the club helped fund the purchase of band instruments and uniforms as well as athletic equipment. Currently the club is supporting such causes as “Meals on Wheels”, the Community Food Shelf, the Vergennes Partnership, The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Vergennes and the Vergennes Opera House. It also has established an endowment for the purpose of providing scholarships for local youngsters, and has made a significant financial commitment to Elderly Services.
The latest major undertaking was putting a roof on the Vergennes City Bandstand. This was done as our Centennial Project to celebrate the first 100 years of Rotary International. The project was completed in June of 2005 and the bandstand was dedicated to Susan P. O’Daniel, the long-time director of the Vergennes City Band and a music teacher at Vergennes Union High School.
